The Jungle Series
by danceoftheheart
Summary: Tales from the jungle in various forms. Contains the drabble, "In the Jungle", and "Rash Confessions" along with the latest addition, "Monkey Love". More chapters to follow.
1. In the Jungle

In the Jungle…

"_Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh_

_Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh…"_

I snorted, my funny bone tickled pink. "Um, Gil?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"Um, don't take this the wrong way but…um…that humming…"

"What humming?" His beard brushed the underside of my breast and I just about lost it then and there.

"OHHHAAAAAhhhh…that song…"

"What song?" He caught my nipple in his teeth.

"The one you keep humming!"

"I'm humming?" he queried, sinking into me with an amused growl.

"Yes…I'm finding it hard….it's a little distracting…oh….oh…the hell with it." My body matched his rhythm and suddenly the humming was sort of appropriate.

"_A-hhh Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh…"_

A/N Lyrics for The Lion Sleeps Tonight, used without permission.


	2. Rash Confessions

Rash Confessions

I snapped on a pair of latex gloves, making sure the edges were snug and pulled up as far as they could go. "Now, what's that old saying? Um…how does it go?"

"Sara-"

"No. No. Let's see if I can remember it…Leaves of three…"

"Sara…you're not helping."

"…let it be, so I'd say that that was a good indication that rolling around in a patch of three-leaved plants might not be too good for your health. Stop scratching. You're only making it worse." I wrapped his right hand to the wrist with linen bandages, making sure to cover every inch of exposed skin then turned my attention to the other one.

He shot me a dirty look and ignored my directive completely. "It was your idea to go for a walk!" he huffed.

"Yes, for some privacy. Which I wouldn't have had to do if you could just practice some control." My teasing grin had a little bite to it. "You'd think we hadn't had sex in what? Six hours or something." My look was heated and he returned it with as much fervor. The second hand was bandaged now. Time to look at the spot that had come into the most contact with that brush. "Roll over. Let's see what the damage is." He did and my breath caught. I'd thought his hands had taken the worst of it but it was clear that that was not the case. His clothes hadn't been any protection at all against the plant's tiny nettles. I dug my fingers into a glass jar and smeared some of the stinky, sticky cream over his skin. His squirmed like a fish out of water. "Lie still. You're getting the ointment everywhere." Worry over his condition made my tone a little brisk.

Once again, I was ignored. Gil reared up onto his elbows and glared at me over his shoulder. "Wait. Wait. I want to get back to the subject at hand. You're lecturing me about practicing control? Excuse me but I think I remember a certain female who was more than eager to ditch the confines of the camp for a little afternoon-"

"Gil!-"

"-romance, Sara. I was going to say 'romance'. Relax. It's not like anyone can hear us over this bloody storm." He rolled flat to his stomach. "Damn. I itch all over."

That was hardly surprising. "Gil, this is a fairly serious rash. I wonder if we should think about getting you to a medicentre."

"Like you said, it's a rash. I'll be fine. The ointment just needs some time to work."

"I don't know. You're not seeing it from my angle."

"Obviously."

I smacked his ass for his smart remark.

"Ow!"

"I'm trying to be serious here."

"Then get serious about putting on that damn cream. It's all I can do not to scratch."

My temper was beginning to go. "If it's that bad we should-"

He sighed, a deep rumbling sound that was muffled by his arm. "Sara, I'm sorry. I'm fine. I'm just really uncomfortable."

"If you're sure-"

"Look, we'll give it a couple of hours. If it hasn't abated a bit by then we'll head up to the coast, okay?"

"You'll let me know the minute you start feeling anything strange?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Okay then. Fine. We'll wait it out." I finished smearing the rest of his inflamed skin and helped him off the bench. Cautiously, I disposed of the linens, bandages and towels I'd used then dumped the gloves into the batch as well. We'd done all we could at this point.

"How about you? Did you get hit?" In the dim glow of the camp light, I could feel his eyes traveling over my skin, inspecting for signs of irritation.

"A little…on my arm, see?" I held up that appendage for him to examine. "But nothing at all in comparison to you. I think…I think you got the worst of it because you were on the bottom." I stood and buzzed his cheek. "I'm terrible, aren't I? Teasing you when you're so miserable."

"Yes. You are. But I will take part of the blame. Next time I want to make love to you I'll make damn sure that I don't pick a patch of poisonous plants to do it in."

I smirked. "Well now, that would involve a little common sense, wouldn't it? Something we haven't been demonstrating enough in recent memory." My smirk broke in the form of a giggle. "I mean, what is with us lately? We're hardly kids! I just-I just can't keep my thoughts…or my hands to myself!"

"I know." He passed a 'mitted' hand over my hair. "You consume me." Our eyes met and held and I swear I felt a blush steel into my cheeks.

I wanted him again. Now. Despite the bandages and possible consequences of skin to skin contact and I know he felt the same way, no matter how stupid it was. "Maybe we're just making up for lost time." My lips were dry and I wet them with the tiniest flick of my tongue.

He nodded, his eyes following my action like one obsessed. "Maybe we should go somewhere and get this out of our system."

His eyes were sparkling…that deep intense blue that made my knees weak with excitement. "We could…but I kind…I kind of like this. After months of…" I stopped, not willing to go any further in fear of spoiling the moment. But just like that, the moment was gone. I pulled away suddenly at odds with the world and everything in it. "I guess I'd better get some of that cream on."

He watched me quietly for a moment before asking. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Oh…yeah. I'll just add some cream myself and wrap it. It's hardly itchy at all." I donned a new set of gloves and Gil wandered over to the edge of the tent and lifted the door flap gingerly.

"It's really coming down." He turned back to me with a grin. "What on earth can we do to fill in the time?"

My lips twisted, relieved that the tension had passed and he was willing to play. "Well, nothing that involves touching. We could tell each other dirty jokes."

"No. Neither of us is very good at that sort of thing."

I laughed out right at that. He had a point. "Sigh. That is one drawback to such a remote locale. Catherine's not around to fill that particular void."

"On the upside, neither is Ecklie, so I guess it all balances out."

"Yeah." It would surprise some people to know but straight-laced, by the book, Conrad Ecklie could tell some of the bluest jokes known to man. "There's no one left for him to yell at. Conrad must be bored out of his mind."

Gil chuckled. "I'm sure he was glad to see the back of us. Speaking of Catherine. I got an email from her yesterday. She says that Nick, Greg and Riley split up my office into their own private hub." He moved away from the 'door' to his steamer trunk and, after a few missed attempts, popped the lock and lifted the lid.

"Yeah. I could see Nick doing that. You know, sometimes, when I'm tired and it's too hot to sleep I can hear his voice teasing me…calling me Sunshine."

He paused in the act of selecting a shirt. "You always hated that nickname."

"And yet it's one of the things I miss most from my days at the lab. That and Greg's coffee! There are days when I know I'd chuck all of this for just one cup…" I held up the garment for him to shrug into and then reached down for a matching pair of shorts.

"You would not." Gil gave up on his attempt to button his shirt and looked at me in askance.

Without comment, I started slipping the tiny plastic discs through their respective holes. "Okay, so I'm exaggerating. I'd be tempted but...you're right. I couldn't go back. I've found something here…that I didn't know was possible for me to find."

"Yes?"

I thought about being glib but in the end I decided that we'd put off serious talk long enough. "Peace. I couldn't get that anywhere else, and now that you're here, I've found happiness too. I wouldn't trade this for anything."

I passed him his shorts but he didn't put them on right away. Instead, he waited for me to look up, cupped my chin and brought his face as close to mine as he dared. "Neither would I."

I couldn't hold his gaze so I broke away using a trip to the cooler for some bottled water as an excuse. I popped the lid on the first for myself and then on the second for him when he accepted my offer of a drink. We both took a couple of swallows and then I asked the question that had been hovering in my brain since the day I saw him walk out of the jungle. "What about you?"

"What about me?" His tone was cagey…almost as if he'd been waiting for me to ask him this very thing.

"Anything back in Vegas you miss enough that would tempt you to return?"

"Permanently?"

"Yeah."

"No. Nothing. Everything I need…everything I want is right here." His words were deliberate…measured for effect, demanding to listened to and understood. "Sara…It took me a long time to realize it but Vegas lost its attraction the day you left. It was only the thought that you might come back that had me hanging on. After Warrick…when you left after the funeral, I think deep down I knew then that I was only marking time. I was just too stubborn to admit it."

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding in an unsteady rush. I wondered if he knew how much I'd needed to hear him say those words. I wondered if he knew how much they meant to me. "I wouldn't have said, 'stubborn', Gil. If anyone holds the award for stubbornness in this relationship…it's…ah…it's me. Your staying…it was more than that. You felt responsible. You needed to stay…until things settled…until life got back to some semblance of normalcy, not only for yourself but for the others. It was selfish of me to ask you to leave when I did. I should have known you couldn't."

"Did you resent me for staying?"

"Honestly?"

"Always."

"A little…okay, a lot, but that didn't mean that I didn't understand. You wouldn't be the man I love if you had just packed up your creatures and bolted after Warrick passed away. You're not selfish, Gil."

"I sense there's more to that sentence…care to finish it?"

I shook my head. The rain was pelting the tent now in harsh thunderous drops. He was waiting for an answer but I didn't want to go there.

"Sara…I don't think…how do I put this…do you think you were selfish to leave Vegas?"

I shrugged. "Maybe not but I know it was selfish to stay away."

"How so?"

"I knew you were hurting and I knew you couldn't leave but I couldn't do the decent thing and stay. What is that if not selfishness?"

"Self-preservation. Sara, you say that you understand my reasons for remaining at the lab…well, I understand the reasons you had to leave. I won't say that I didn't want things to be different because I most certainly did but that doesn't mean I didn't understand why you had to go. I just had a hard time accepting it."

"You must have hated me."

"No. I wanted you. I missed you. I ached for you. But I never…never hated you. I wanted you to be happy."

"Even if that meant you were…even if that meant you weren't?"

"Yes."

"You're a better person than I am, Gil."

"Why? How can you say that?"

"There were times…though if I'm being honest, it wasn't you I hated…it was the lab…and that whole situation…Look, if I tell you something…will you promise not to get upset?"

He sighed and lowered his weight to our bed. "No, but I will promise to listen."

"I don't really want to bring this up but it's been bothering me so…it's better to get it out in the open."

"What is it?"

"I'm having terrible pangs of guilt. Every time I think about you…and how happy we are now…"

"Talk to me."

I crossed the room to join him. "That's just it. We didn't talk…haven't talked about this at all. I mean, after months of being apart and not speaking or writing for so long, you'd think we would have sat down and hashed all of this out but we didn't! You came out of the bush and swept me into you arms and that was that. And I'm so happy and so thrilled that you're here that I'm afraid to say anything that might destroy that happiness but I can't…I can't…just…"

"Sara, look, whatever it is, just say it. Get it out in the open and we'll deal with it."

"There were times…in the last couple of months…that I wish…I wish I'd never met you." I swiped a hand across my cheek, erasing a tear that had escaped from the corner of my eye before returning it to my lap. "I'm telling you this because I want you to understand how much it means to me that you're here. You're everything to me. You've been my best friend…my worst enemy and everything in between. You know my past…you know I never had a relationship with anyone like this before. When I met you it was like finding my missing part. The thing that made me whole. When we were apart I missed you so much I felt like I was only half there, you know? I hated not being with you…and then when you stopped writing…and taking my calls…I hated myself for letting you become so important! For giving you so much power over me. I tried to tell myself it was for the best, right? That I had to move on and…be strong and…all the crap that everyone tells themselves but that only made me miss you more and…and…dammit!"

"Hey…shhh…that's over now, Sara. I'm here. We're together. That's all that matters now." His wrapped hands caught my shoulders and he pulled me as close as he dared, cursing as he did. "I want to hold you, Sara."

"Gil, I know. Really. I know. But I'm okay. It's alright."

"No, it's not alright, but I'm not going to take the chance of making you sick too." He grunted and the sound rumbled against my ear from where my head lay against his clothed chest. "What a pair we are."

I leaned back to lie on the bed and he followed me down. "Hmm. So much drama. It's one of the things that makes this place so attractive to me. There's none of that here." I rolled to my side and snuggled into his shoulder contentedly.

"Well I don't know about that." He held up his bound hands. "I think there's drama in everything. Doesn't matter where you live or how, it'll find you. What makes it easier to cope with is the company you keep."

My eyebrows raised. "You may have a point. A month ago, the world was closing in on me and I thought about nothing but escape."

"And now?"

I tightened my arms around his waist. "And now…that you're here…I see endless possibilities."

"A remarkable change in attitude," he said with a yawn that I soon copied.

"As you said, it all depends on the company you keep."

We both grew quiet then, a silence that was both comfortable and familiar spreading easily between us until the rain lulled us to sleep.


	3. Monkey Love

Monkey Love

"Okay, that does it! Where's my gun?!"

"Your gun? You have a gun here?"

"What? You mean you came out in the middle of nowhere without one?"

Put that way, it didn't seem very smart but I owned up all the same. "Well, yes. I suppose I did."

She snorted and began to rifle through her trunk. "You would."

I sat down on the edge of her bed, frowning. "Wait. I must have walked into the wrong tent. Excuse me, Miss. I'm looking for Sara Sidle. Vegetarian. Friend to all animals and humans alike. Was willing to risk getting thrown off the force because she went for the wound shot and not the kill."

"Gil?"

"Yes?"

"In case you haven't realized this yet, my searching for a gun means that I am so not in the mood for your teasing right now. Back off."

She had a point but I was wayyyyy too amused enough to ignore said warning. "Okay. But, um, before you go around putting holes…in…um…things, why don't you sit down right next to me and tell me what's bothering you." I patted the mattress and offered her my best, "I'm listening," smile. She didn't take me up on my offer but she did stop searching for her firearm so I had to be satisfied with that small victory. "What set you off?"

"The monkey got my pop tart again."

I blinked and struggled to keep a straight face. "I see. You're right, this is serious. Snuff him."

She looked upwards and her mouth started moving. It took me a minute to realize she was counting to ten. Whoops. Maybe I should have headed that warning after all. By the time she was ready to look at me again, I had made a vow to be a little more supportive. I just hoped I could keep it. "Gil, I assure you I have no intention of 'snuffing' anything. I just want to follow him and see where he's taking the stuff he's swiping but I'm not stupid enough to do that without some form of protection."

"Over a pop tart."

"It was my last one."

I chuckled sympathetically. "It's really that bad?"

"Yes! He's stealing anything and everything he can get his hands on. Pretty soon, there's not going to be anything left. He made off with your fishing gear an hour ago."

"My what?!" I raced out of the tent and headed for the make-shift camp table. Sara was right. My box, fly-tying equipment, cord and pole were all missing. "That little thief!"

"Suddenly not so funny, eh Grissom?"

"That tackle box belonged to my father!"

"Hmm. Want to borrow my gun?"

"No. I'm sure you'll protect us both." I made my way back into our tent and began the process of switching out my camp shoes for a sturdier pair of hikers.

She followed my example, saying, "My binoculars disappeared this morning. My camera late last night. He grabbed Flounder's mp3 player yesterday." At my blank look, she huffed and said, The redhead with the glasses, Gil. The guy in the next tent." At my nod of recognition she continued. "Anyway, I saw the monkey run off with the mp3 player just as I was coming back from our meeting. He's a menace."

"By 'he' I assume you mean that cute little guy who's been your shadow since I got here?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Don't let that 'cute' exterior fool you. He's smart as a whip." She lowered her voice. "Hell, he could probably give some of those guys out there a run for their money."

"Hmm. No comment."

"Wise. Never know whose listening."

"That's a pretty good haul for a little monkey. Are you sure he's working alone?" I almost got that out without a snicker but hey, there was a silly side to all of this.

"No, I'm not sure," she replied as she double knotted one set of laces and went to work on the other. "It could be a whole group but there he's been the one monkey in particular who's been hovering around the camp, picking at things…taunting me…I'm sure he's the ring-leader if nothing else." She finished the second shoe and stood up, hands to hips. "If the gun isn't in my trunk…oh, yeah, wait, I got it." She made tracks for the make-shift organizer in the corner of the room. "When stuff started disappearing I have to admit I was looking at the human angle much more closely that the animal one."

"Understandable."

"Yeah. But very unsettling. One would hardly expect that this group of scientist and researchers would be harboring a petty thief. Besides, we've all got similar equipment and eventually, you know the culprit would give himself away. There's not a lot of places he could hide the loot or get it out of here for that matter. Anyway, a good portion of what was missing was electronic and valuable. I didn't want someone sneaking in here, popping the lock on my trunk and finding my gun case and shooting off a toe or something so I thought it best to move it to a less obvious location." From under a pile of notebooks and various other research materials she pulled a minute steel lockbox that possessed not only a standard key lock but a combination dial as well. When she caught me staring at it she shrugged. "I'm one of two women at this camp heading into a fairly unexplored area that's isolated both physically and technologically away from any form of assistance. I wouldn't go hiking in the mountains at home without a side arm. Why is this any different?" She made quick work of the locks, removed the weapon and made tracks out of the tent.

I had to hustle to keep up. "It's not, really, I just have a hard time reconciling this Sara with the Sara I remember back in Vegas and…San Francisco for that matter. I had to insist on you carrying-"

"Things change, Gil," she tossed over her shoulder. "I think he went down here."

I followed her into the brush. "Not that much."

"He's probably got a stash near the watering hole. I'd say we head in that direction first. He's got a good lead on us but he might pop by for a drink and then we can follow him."

I tried to let her change the subject. Kept my thoughts to myself all the way to the watering hole but when we paused to take stock of the situation, I couldn't remain silent any longer. "Sara, we need to talk about this."

"I'd really rather we just left it, Gil."

"No. This is obviously something very important and I-I need to understand."

She smiled, gently, the sun catching her eyes in a way that made her seem ethereal. "We've both changed, haven't we? There was a time when you wouldn't have pushed me. When you would have just let things go and hope for the best." I opened my mouth to speak but she placed a hand on my lips, and suddenly any humor in the situation was gone. "It's okay, Gil. I would have too, but that was before…that was before Natalie."

Instinctively, I pulled her into my arms, the mere mention of that woman's name making my heart race. "And here I am teasing you about it. I didn't think-"

She shook her head against my chest. "No, don't…see this is why I didn't tell you. In fact, I tried my best to keep this from you but the Sara you're remembering…she's changed, Gil. You can't go through something like that and…go back to 'normal' life. Something's got to give or…"

"Or you break."

"Exactly."

"You tried to hide it from me? There was never a need. I would have understood."

"Yes, in my head I knew that but I was afraid that if I put too much on you, you would…would…"

It was easy to see where this was going. "Hare off to Williams again with only a couple hours notice."

She nodded. "Hey, I'm human, right? Paranoia does some strange things to your brain. Anyway, in the end, I was carrying all the time. For the first couple of weeks after I returned from the desert, I kept…you know, looking over my shoulder…feeling like there was someone behind me. I nearly took Greg's head off for sneaking up behind me one day! When he saw how upset I was he apologized immediately but that didn't stop the reaction. I burst into tears and had to go to the locker room and pull myself together. It didn't matter that Natalie was behind bars. It didn't matter that I had all this training behind me. My brain could not accept the fact that I was safe. I'd just been through too much and worse, I wasn't-I wasn't letting myself deal with it."

"You were trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. You went back to work as soon as you could."

"Yeah, trying to make things feel normal again, but everything had changed, right? The problems with Ecklie, being switched to a different shift, everyone knowing about us…I couldn't find my place, Gil. My rhythm. It was just – more than I could handle. So I started carrying the gun. It went with me everywhere and when even that wasn't enough, I ran."

"You make it sound so cowardly."

Her lashes feathered her cheeks. "Well it was."

"No, Sara. It was shocking…more importantly it was necessary for your peace of mind…but it wasn't cowardly."

Her lashes lifted and she pinned me with a stare so loving and adoring that I almost couldn't believe it was directed at me. "I love you, you know. I never stopped. Not once in all these years. You could have been so hard…you could have made things so difficult when I left but you didn't. I don't deserve to be this happy." She pressed her lips into mine slowly, slipping into the sultry kiss like a warm bath and I tightened my arms against her spine to bring her closer.

I broke away; needing to tell her what was in my heart. "Yes, you do, Sara. We both deserve to be this happy. Finally. At last. We've waited long enough."

She combed her fingers through my hair, before pulling away with a sensuous grin. "You know what?"

Already seeing where this was leading, I fell in line. "What?"

She backed away a couple of steps. "Suddenly, I'm not really in the mood to chase down monkey thieves."

I followed her steps lazily. "Maybe you're in the mood for some monkey activity of a different nature."

"Hmm," she said, starting to turn. "Perhaps."

"Monkey Love?"

"Could be. Race you to the tent!" she called out over her shoulder and bolted through the brush.

Bad knees or no I gave her a run for her money…and then some.


	4. Heat

Heat

I dissected the leaf with as much precision as I could master, doing my best to keep the largest vein in tact for the time being. I wanted to get a few high resolution shots of the vegetation before I opened the vein to look at the microorganisms inside. I was fortunate that I'd found such a healthy specimen. It would make the documentation much easier. I picked up the camera, seeing it not only displayed in the capture lens but also through my mind's eye and how it would look in the paper I was writing. I snapped off a few shots at different angles and then changed lenses so that I could get a decent, close up, cross-section view.

"He did it! He did it! He popped the question and she said yes!"

I straightened from my position, struggling to swallow my heart back into my chest, biting back a natural instinct to yell at the intruder for startling me so badly. Seeing that it was Sara, made it a little easier to forgive especially with the rapturous smile she was currently sporting. She had ripped into this mini lab we'd set up with the force of a hurricane and I just hoped I could survive long enough to hear what she had to say. "He who?"

"Nick!"

"Nick? He proposed? To whom?"

"Mandy of course and she said 'yes'." She waved the letter she was holding in the air.

"He wrote me an email. Here, see for yourself." She passed the thin leaflet to me and then came closer to read over my shoulder as I went through it. "He sounds so in love."

I nodded, my hand covering the one she placed on my shoulder and giving it a good squeeze. "Yes, he does. They've set a date. A month from now. Do you want to go?"

"If we can, definitely. I think we're almost through here, right? My research is finished and you're into the final stages of yours. We should be able to push through. Actually, the timing is really convenient."

"Yes." We'd been discussing whether or not to take advantage of a new research opportunity that had crossed our paths. The date of commencement was scheduled two months from now and the debate was whether or not to take it or stay with our current venture. Both Sara and I felt there was more than enough material to keep us busy here but were very tempted by the new proposal. The only real issue was its location. We'd be going from the tropics to the arctic and Sara and I weren't sure we were up to such a drastic turn of climate. We'd become a little spoiled in our creature comforts as it were. Still, a change of pace was a very enticing. "Break out the parkas. Looks like we're headed north."

Sara giggled and did this little happy dance that had me grinning in return. "This is great news. I've been waiting to hear something for a while. Greg said they were getting pretty serious. Oh, it's a good day." She looped her arms around my neck and smiled up at me. "Let's have sex!"

"What?"

She plastered her frame against mine and there's little doubt that she couldn't feel what her bold announcement had done to certain parts of my anatomy. "Let's…(kiss)…have…(kiss)…sex."

"What, right now?"

"Yes."

"Here?"

"YES!"

"Now?"

"Gil!"

"What has gotten into you?"

"I'm happy. I want to celebrate. I want you. Why do you still have so many clothes on?"

"Because it's the middle of the day and we're in the process of conducting-"

"Pants. Off. Now."

"Sara, leave my zipper alone."

"Well we can try to pull them off without opening it but I don't think that's going to work so well."

"You're ridiculous."

"Yeah? Well, you're still not naked! I want you…now…yesterday….always."

"Oh, okay. Sure. Yes. Right now. Geez, Sara, we've got our hands full here."

"Lighten up, Bugman."

"Sara, we can't. We've got to complete this."

"That's what I'm trying to do but you're not helping! Naked. Strip."

"Anyone could walk in here."

"Don't care."

"You would be so embarrassed facing them later."

"Only if we're caught which we won't be if you would just cooperate and get naked now!"

There comes a time in every pointless argument when one has a mental epiphany that basically says, "Yo! Idiot! Why the hell are you arguing?" For me, that epiphany happened when Sara stripped off her top and stood there with her hands on her hips daring me to take her up on her 'invitation'. "You know what?" I asked, removing my pants.

"What?" she asked with a grin, waiting for the set up.

"I'm suddenly in the mood for love."

Her grin widened. "Simply because you're…near…me?" she whispered in a throaty breath.

"Yeah, something like that." The rest of my clothes were gone in seconds and then I had her in my arms, running my hands up and down her back as I pressed her close into my skin. "Oh…wait…my glasses."

"I said clothes, not glasses, Gil," she giggled into my neck. "Work with me here, dear."

"Yes, dear," I replied at did just that.


	5. Jungle Fever

The Jungle Series

Jungle Fever

I flung another sweater into the heavy chest and then slammed the lock home. "I didn't touch it, Gil."

"Well it didn't grow legs and walk off by itself!" Gil was standing in the middle of the tent, hands braced on his hips, the epitome of impatience personified.

Holding onto my temper by a thread I smiled 'sweetly' at him and replied, "I'm not suggesting that it did."

His jaw set. "Then what are you suggesting?"

I tossed my hands in the air, totally frustrated at his 'overly polite' tone. "That you didn't put it there in the first place! If you had I would have seen it."

Gil's voice dropped to a level that on the surface sounded perfectly reasonable and non-confrontational. Believe me, experience has taught me that it meant anything but. Usually, it was the first indication that his temper was about to explode. "I assure you I did. I put it there this morning...right before breakfast. Neither of us have been back here since." He took a breath and then, just as I predicted, exploded. "It should still be here!"

Mind you, when I said 'explode' I was referring to the Grissom version of said event. I'm ashamed to admit this but his version was still only a par-boiled version of mine. He had admirable control.

We didn't fight often. In fact, and I know this is going to sound weird, but there were times that I didn't believe we fought enough. At least a good fight brings things out in the open quickly rather than letting them fester. Both of us were champions at letting things fester. No, rather than a full blown rant, we both tended to go for the 'I'll just give you the silent treatment while you take the time to figure out how idiotic you're being and apologize to me about it', attitude. To give us our due, most of the time it worked. Gil and I prided ourselves on being able to deal with our problems as 'adults'. (SNICKER!) Well, no matter how unrealistic that was, we do get points for _trying _to be civilized. Anyway…every now and then…we have a really good blowout. Now, it's rare that these incidents are about anything important like our feelings or our future…you know, stuff that actually matters. No, usually it's about stuff like the ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE or LIFE ON MARS. Topics of vital importance to any burgeoning romance.

We're geeks. We tend to get a little intense about such things. I won't bother to make excuses.

We once went two days without speaking to each other after new theories were published regarding Einstein's Theory of Relativity. We each took opposing sides and…it was not pretty. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure we ever really resolved that one. Whatever. The make-up sex was pretty memorable.

This time however the topic was Gil's research folder. Months of pain-staking experimentation, documentation and examination had decided to go AWOL in the process of us packing to head back to the States. Needless to say, we were both running a little hot after the disappearance of something so valuable.

I opened the lid of a second steamer trunk and began filling its belly. "Before breakfast? I don't remember seeing it there, Gil. I'm sure I would have remembered seeing something that important sitting in such an _idiotic_ spot and moved it to somewhere much more _sensible_."

Gil was starting to turn purple but his voice was still calm if a little strained. Man it pissed me off! "As I've explained MULTIPLE times since we came back to the camp, you couldn't have seen it there. You were the first one out of the tent this morning. I put it there _after_ you left. You wouldn't have been able to move it someplace '_safer_' this morning because you wouldn't have had the opportunity. However, _you _were the first one back here this afternoon and since it was there before I left _you_ had to have been the one to move it because it's not there now." He dumped a pile of light cotton pants hap-hazardly into trunk, wrecking the neat fold and leg creases. It was all I could to do ignore the compulsion to 'fix' them.

Instead, I looked up at him from where I was kneeling and said, "Gil, look - at - me! _I _did not see it. _I_ did not move it. _I_ did not lose it because it wasn't there! Maybe that bloody monkey got in here again and-"

"We monkey-proofed this place, remember?" he said, gesturing to our make-shift 'alarm' system. "Not that he'd really be interested in the file anyway; it doesn't make noise or light up." We'd discovered that our pint-sized thief had very particular tastes. Electronics were his obsession and Gil was right about the effectiveness of the alarm. The monkey was afraid of the noise that the various containers attached to the door flaps made when you opened the zippers. Hadn't bothered us since the first time he tried to get into the tent a couple of weeks ago. "Nothing else is missing but my research file. You were the one who packed the clothes. You were the one who put the other journals away. Everything else that was on the table made it into the trunk. How the hell did the one thing of any importance miss being packed too?"

I took a deep breath. Apparently the 'other' journals (_my journals_) weren't of any importance. I wanted to tear a strip off him for that alone, but I figured we should finish our current argument before I had the poor taste to start another. "For the last and final time, Gilbert Grissom, it wasn't there. It wasn't there! How many times do I have to say that it wasn't there?!" My breath was ragged. I hated fighting…especially with Gil. I did my utmost best to avoid this very thing. When he said nothing further, only continued to stare at me, tight-lipped, I decided that enough was enough. It was reaching the point of either scream or cry and I just wasn't going to let him push me any farther. "I need some air," I told him, trying to be the bigger person. "This is getting us nowhere. When I come back I will help you tear this tent apart inch by inch. Just give me a little space." And with that I walked out, hoping that he would understand but not really caring all that much if he did.

I was sitting on a rock by the bank of the river basin when I heard footsteps coming up behind me. A half hour had passed from the time I'd left the tent but even that length of time had done little to get me over my 'mad'. "Approach at your own risk, Grissom," I told him mildly, but meaning every word. I even managed a little smile…my way of taking some the sting out of the warning, but that didn't mean I was in a very receptive mood.

"Still sore?"

I tilted my head and regarded him solemnly. "Yes," I answered honestly. "But…I'm concerned too. I wish I did know what happened to your files. I'm sure I'd be every bit as upset as you were if my research had gone missing." My words were soft and Gil's reaction was to let his shoulders come down from the vicinity of his neck and take an easier breath. However, the tension was back the next second when I couldn't resist adding, "I don't know that I would jump around the tent accusing you of losing it…but I do know it would be hard to be _reasonable _under the circumstances. It's going to be extremely difficult to reconstruct that data if we can't locate the originals."

Instead of zinging me back, he nodded contritely. "Thank goodness we don't have to try." He pulled his hands from behind his back. His right fist clutched a thick file.

Knowing there was something going on here that I wasn't privy too, I fluttered my lashes at him saying, "You found it! Where was it?"

He tapped the file in his hand, obviously trying to figure out how to word his next statement. "Before I answer that question you have to promise me two things."

I leaned back, folding my arms over my chest. "Why do I suddenly get the feeling that you are in no position to be asking me for favors of any sort?"

"Because you are the most intuitive, beautiful and intelligent woman I know," he told me, leaning in to deliver a kiss for every sweet title he bestowed upon me. "Oh…and the most forgiving…I hope." This time the kiss was lingering and coaxing…would have been bone-melting if I'd been in the right frame of mind to give into it.

I took a deep breath. "How mad am I going to be, Gilbert?"

"I think the strength of your anger will lie in direct proportion with your sense of humor… which I'm hoping proves to be as acute as it normally is."

I humphed. "Not sure I followed that completely but okay, let me have it."

"Well, as it turns out…impossible as it might seem…we were both right."

"Really." Feeling a little like a queen about to pronounce sentence I stared him down. "Interesting. Go on."

"I did leave the file…exactly where I said I did…yesterday morning. And you were right that it wasn't there when you came back and started packing."

"Ah. Good to know. And do we happen to know where it went in the interim?"

He shifted a little nervously from foot to foot. "Yes…we do. Now, here's where that promise I mentioned comes in…"

"Man oh man," I choked, "don't even bother-"

"Look, I promised Freiderick I'd intercede on his behalf-"

"You're old enough to know that your mouth shouldn't go around writing cheques your ass can't cash."

"Sara, if you'd just listen-"

I shook my head slowly. "You're on thin ice, bugman, and you know it."

"Yes. Yes, I know it. What'll it take, Sar?"

"To get me to _listen _or to get me to _forgive_ you?"

"I'll settle for 'listen' for the time being."

"Gee, Gil, I don't know. I take being accused of lying very seriously. You know this. It's not something that is a surprise or recent. I've always had this issue. Right?"

"Right."

"Goes back to when I was child. It's part of the way I'm wired…as ingrained as your reaction to people who are in science for the money rather than the science itself."

"I get it Sara. You're mad. You're also laying it on a little thick here."

I blinked. Wow. He really had no idea how upset I was. "Am I? Well, then I guess this conversation is over, isn't it?" I scooted forward to slide off the rock, but he was quick enough to 'cage' me with his arms before I could escape. "Move."

"No. This stupidity has gone on long enough."

"I agree, but since I didn't start it I'm not the one who has to fix it." I tried to push past him but he didn't budge. "Dammit, Gil!"

"You want to lay all of this in my lap? Fine. I accept that. There are some extenuating circumstances here but I will certainly take responsibility for my actions. I will try to make amends. But I can't fix anything if you don't stay here and listen to what I have to say, so what's it going to take, Sar? Hmm? Sar?" His lips settled on my neck, made a leisurely trail across my skin to the other side and then found that spot…oh that spot…that made me want to-

Wait. Hold everything. Almost forgot the reason he was making kissy lips at me in the first place. I jerked my head up, not at all impressed with his tactics. "You're not playing fair, Grissom," I growled, "And if you keep pushing me this way, you'll be sorry." I reached out and grabbed a fistful of hair, pulling his head down to mine for a not so gentle kiss. I poured all of my anger and frustration into that one little maneuver…and I'd be hard pressed to measure which one of us was more destroyed by the outcome when we finally broke apart. It took me a second but I managed to lick my lips and say, "Might want to try a different method of persuasion, bugman." My eyes met his and when mine lowered, his followed suit, coming to land on the…ahem, sudden change in his anatomy that had to be causing him some major discomfort.

But rather than backing off as I half expected him to do, he crowded me even closer! His hands left the rock to slide slowly up the sides of my ribs, coming to rest just below the curve of my breast. He pulled me up, sliding one of his legs in between the centre of mine and let his thumbs graze the tips of my nipples in the slowest…most teasing touch he could manage. Oh-my-god! Can we say 'heat' boys and girls? Wow. "I can handle it if you can," he whispered, before lowering his head to nip at the tender tip of my earlobe.

I moaned this half furious half desperate slake of sound that had Gil chuckling low in his throat when he heard it. I'm so easy when it came to him. He could have taken me right then and right there and I doubt I would have offered any resistance at all if he had continued in his seduction. "Help me end it, Sara," he said. "I can think of so many things I want to do with you besides fight. What do you want?"

Totally distracted, I failed to register anything after his teeth had grazed my skin. "Mmmm-what?"

"Sara, what do you want?"

Oh…right…we were fighting and…I was mad…and…ah hell, I really could have cared less at that moment but it was the principle of the thing. He couldn't be allowed to get off that easily! Time for a little fancy maneuvering of my own. I swirled a finger in the curls at the nape of his neck. "Hmmm. How about a decent apology for a start?" I asked him, in all seriousness.

His forehead touched mine. "You have it," he replied with complete sincerity. "I'm very sorry for getting mad at you for something you had no control over."

Well, that was close but not exactly what I'd been hoping for. "And-?"

"And for accusing you of lying to me…without proof."

"Gilbert-"

"Fine. Of lying in general. Satisfied?"

I wasn't but I decided it would be more fun to show rather than tell that he still hadn't quite gotten his way. "Perhaps. Bribe me."

"What?"

"Tempt me," I whispered, trailing a finger down his chest. I leaned in and dropped a scorching kiss on his lips and then backed away out of reach. I found my way back to my perch and casually, oh so casually, slipped my top button free of its hole. "The sun's really hot today, isn't it?"

His lips twisted in tortured amusement. "That's really low, Sar. You're worse than I am."

"Yep. About to get lower if you don't come up with something interesting and soon."

I threaded my fingers through my curls, scooping them back from my neck and then let them fall to one side.

"Ah, Sara, you know I'm no good at this sort of thing. Tell me what you want and it's yours."

"Nice try. I gave you fair warning about where this was heading." I trailed a finger down my chest and let loose another button. "Whoops."

He actually laughed outright at that point. "Honey, I'm begging you-"

"No," I answered smugly, "but you will." And away went another button. The only thing holding my shirt closed now was my position. Gil was practically drooling.

"Dinner!" he burst out. "Five star meal…all vegetarian…our first night back in Vegas."

"Hmm." I shifted a little and one side of my shirt slipped a little farther, revealing a little more skin. "Okay, you got my attention. Go on. What does Freiderick have to do with this mess?" I opened my arms to him and he was there, solid and hard, determined to take our little _discussion_ to the next level.

"He and some of the other thought it would be a 'funny' practical joke to misplace my research for a while." The words tumbled out of him in a jumbled mess; his explanation mixed into the haze of heat and skin that eclipsed my ability to really take in what he was saying. "He thought it would screw with our heads a little. He didn't think it would have us at each other's throats." My shirt was tossed aside, my bra soon met the same fate, and then his hands were everywhere as I struggled to free him from his pants. "When he realized how mad we were he went to go get the file from where he'd hidden it but by the time he made it back, things had really gotten out of hand."

Concentrating on the body that was currently in my hands, I gasped, "Oh."

"You walked right by him when you left. He doesn't think you noticed him at all, you were that mad. He waited a few minutes for me to settle down and then came in and handed me the file with his explanation. He wants to apologize directly to you too but he's afraid you're going to kick his ass." Gil paused for breath, having managed to reduce me to a naked, writhing mess, during the rest of his explanation he suddenly stopped as his questing hand found my core. "Damn but you're hot and wet." I groaned and he sunk into me with one long, deep, thrust that just about did me in right there and then.

Conversation was suspended for several long, glorious moments until our union reached its inevitable conclusion. Even then it was several more before either of us could find the capacity to speak.

So we're lying there, breathing in gasps as if we'd run a 10k marathon, and Gil resumes his conversation as if it never stopped. "What I promised him was a chance to say sorry at a five minute head start."

Totally in awe of not only his stamina but his mental prowess, I asked, "Who?"

"Freiderick. The guy who took my file and is afraid you'll kick his ass."

I snorted. "Oh him. Um, yes. Okay. Fine. Whatever." I settled more comfortably in Gil's arms. "Frankly, after what just happened here, I might just buy him dinner."


	6. Take Off

A/N: This drabble fits into the time frame of my 'Jungle Series' and takes place on the plane ride back to Las Vegas.

_Take Off_

"You're smiling."

"I am?"

Gil nodded. "Something's up. What're you thinking?"

I flushed. "Nothing."

He chuckled. "Nothing?"

"No."

"Must be something good…"

"Shhh. I'm reading."

"Something…dirty…"

I choked on a giggle, looking away.

Gil was silent for a moment but then he blurted, "The Mile High Club!"

"How did you-?"

"You're thinking about Ken Fuller," he taunted.

"Shhh!"

"Admit it."

I squirmed. "Alright. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Right idea…wrong guy!"

"Wrong guy…oh."

I nodded and then left for the bathroom, knowing he'd be following soon after.

Needless to say, minutes later, the Mile High Club was one member richer.


	7. Moo Goo Guy Pan

A/N: This little drabble takes place after the Grissoms have returned to Las Vegas.

Moo Goo Guy Pan

"Hmmm. Missed this."

I snickered. "Well, it's hard to get good take out in the Amazon. Ooohh. Forturne Cookie."

"Wait," Gil said. "Bad luck. Supposed to be opened at the end."

I rolled my eyes and broke it anyway. Part of the cookie went flying, hitting Gil square in the eye. He lost his grip on his chopsticks. End result: Moo Goo Guy Pan down my back.

I wriggled and squirmed, laughing, "Guess I was wrong," but then I felt him lift my shirt.

His tongue found and followed the trail of spices up my spine. "No, you weren't."


	8. Turbulence

A/N: A sequel to 'Take Off". Thanks to Chelles for the inspiration!

_Turbulence_

"So?"

"So?"

"How did we compare?"

"Compare?"

"To that article."

"What article?"

I snickered. "I knew it. You made it up."

"Excuse me?"

"The article, Gil. _Applied Psycho Dynamics in Forensic Science_."

"How the hell did you remember that?"

"I'm gifted. Well? How did we compare?"

He squirmed, a smile playing around his lips. "I'll have to get back to you on that."

"Why can't you just admit you made ithumphhhhhh-"

Gil planted a sweltering kiss on my lips then went back to reading his book.

"Nice try," I humphed. "You owe me a subscription."

"I'll get right on that."


	9. Test Flight

_A/N: When I posted, "Turbulence" sillym3 told me that I'd forgotten a scene. The SMUTT scene. Whoopsie. My bad. Well, far be it for me to forget something so important. This one fits smack dab in the middle of "Take Off" and "Turbulence". Enjoy._

Test Flight

"How exactly is this supposed to work?"

"Well, you sit and I-"

"You've got to be kidding-"

"No, no. Really, you need to-"

"But wouldn't it have made more sense for me to be sitting before? Now you have to crawl over me and-"

"Shhhh…someone'll hear."

"Sara, we've been in here for quite a while. They probably have a pretty good idea about what we're doing." Pause. "I just don't see how…"

"You know, Ken didn't find it all that difficult to figure outttttt oooohhhhmmmygodddddMMMMMM…GILLLLL."

"You were saying?" he rasped into my neck.

"Never mind….mmmmm…I think you got the ideaaaaa."


End file.
